Bobby could not stand that.  He ran after Joey, and Joey dodged and began to call him names.  Joey’s sister, Sadie, who cared for the six children, heard the noise in the yard below.

“Do you think it’s your yard?” she called out to Bobby.  “It is just as much Joey’s yard as it is yours!”

Then Bobby’s mother opened her window.  “Come in, Bobby!” she said; and when Bobby left the snow man and climbed upstairs, she said, “Son, we mustn’t quarrel with our neighbors, you know.”

“But Joey threw stones—­”

“Never mind,” said mother.  “We won’t talk about that.  Perhaps we’ll get to be friends with Joey after a while.  And you remember about coals of fire.”

That was mother’s rule.  Bobby knew that text about coals of fire so well!

“But I don’t see how you could ever make coals of fire out of a snow man, mother!” he said.  And then mother laughed, and he laughed, too.

After a while, Joey and the other children ran out into the street to play.  Bobby went down and finished the snow man with no one to trouble him.  He put on the head again, and placed an old broom under its arm.  He put it in very tight, so that no one could take it out easily.

Joey’s sister, Sadie, was bringing things out to the roof of the two-story extension.  It was a tin roof, and sloped a bit.  Suddenly her foot slipped, and she lost her balance.  She clutched at a clothesline, but it snapped.  Down she came, and Bobby stood speechless with fright.

But the snow man—­the heroic snow man—­was there to save her.  Standing firm and erect, he received the shock of Sadie’s fall.  It was too much for his head.  He lost that first, and then, as he went all to pieces, he made a pillow for Sadie.  Bobby ran forward.

“Oh, oh, I never will say a word against that boy!” she said, sitting up in the snow.  “His snow man has saved me!” Bobby’s mother came running downstairs and out into the yard.

“You poor child!” she said.  “But I don’t believe there’s a bone broken.  Come right in and I’ll give you a cup of hot tea.”

Sadie came, and Bobby followed.  Behind him came Joey, and the two boys lingered round while the tea was made.  Sadie drank it, and smiled at Bobby’s mother.

“We’re neighbors.  I always like my neighbors, and I want to help them if I can,” said Bobby’s mother.

“Well, you can count me as a neighbor who likes you,” said Sadie.  “Come along, Joey—­and mind you behave to Bobby like a good neighbor, too.”

Bobby climbed into his mother’s lap after they had gone upstairs.  “Coals of snow are all right,” he whispered in her ear.

—­Selected.

     “The thing that goes the farthest
       Toward making life worth while,
     That costs the least and does the most,
       Is just a pleasant smile.”

O SANNA SAN.